AP source: Pot found aboard plane near Marine One

Two Air Force F-16 fighters intercepted a privately owned Cessna airplane that entered the same Los Angeles airspace as Marine One on Thursday as the helicopter was ferrying President Barack Obama.

Police discovered about 40 pounds of marijuana inside the plane after it landed at Long Beach Airport, a law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to comment publicly on the drug investigation and spoke under condition of anonymity.

The Secret Service said the president was never in any danger.

In a statement, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said it scrambled two F-16 fighters from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, Calif., to intercept a Cessna 182 over Los Angeles about 2:30 p.m. EST.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice said the department's Homeland Security Investigations unit questioned the pilot, who has been turned over to Long Beach police and remains in custody. He will face local prosecution, Kice said.

NORAD spokesman Michael Kucharek declined to disclose how close the Cessna came to Marine One.